The Bombers were dominant at BMO Field in Week 6, taking down the Boatmen 38-20 as Winnipeg jumped out to an early start and never looked back, scoring 15 points in the first quarter.
It was a career day for national running back Andrew Harris, who rushed for 161 yards and two majors in the victory. Pivot Matt Nichols was also impressive, completing 19-of-27 attempts for 245 yards and two touchdown passes while running for another major.
The Bombers’ defence held strong, containing the Argos to just 173 yards on offence.
Winnipeg is searching for a repeat performance, but this time on home turf.
“It’s hard to beat a team once. It’s even harder to beat a team twice,” Nichols told BlueBombers.com. “The toughest thing about a back-to-back is you just played them six, seven days ago and really the most recent film you have is of that game. It’s very unlikely that they come out and just play the same thing that you just saw.”
Head Coach Mike O’Shea acknowledged that each week brings new challenges, but feels his team is prepared.
“You always expect their best,” said O’Shea. “If you are preparing like you’re going to get their best then whatever they throw at your they’re going to throw at you. You’re going to defend it or you’re not…As long as you’re prepared to play the best opponent, I think you’re going to be okay.”
The Bombers made some moves this week, including shipping receiver Adarius Bowman to the Montreal Alouettes for a conditional eighth round draft pick in 2019. The three-time West Division all-star never hit his stride in Winnipeg, managing just 95 yards and no touchdowns in six regular season games.
Rookie Kenbrell Thompkins is the next man up. The 29-year-old is slated to start in place of the now-departed Bowman. The former NFL receiver practiced with the first-team offence all week and says he is looking forward to making his CFL debut.
“I’m just trying to focus on the things I need to stay focused on,” said Thompkins. “I’ve got a pretty good feel of the offence now a little better and I’m just happy for the opportunity. “
While the Bombers are keeping pace with the West Division, the Toronto Argonauts are not happy with their start to the 2018 season.
The reigning Grey Cup champions have struggled out of the gate and are tied with the Montreal Alouettes at the bottom of the East Division with a 1-4 record.
The team has had to face some early adversity after losing franchise quarterback Ricky Ray early into the year.
However, head coach Marc Trestman says the team is keeping a positive outlook.
“The only way to honour the game is to act like a champion because the game doesn’t care whether you were one or not,” Trestman told Argonauts.ca. “We have to carry ourselves like that and that means our demeanour. Things we say. Words we use. How we work. The process that we’re working under. We have to embrace the adversity that’s hit our football team.”
The Double Blue failed to put their best foot forward versus the Bombers in Week 6. Quarterback James Franklin managed only 151 passing yards, throwing no touchdowns and one pick. The run game also struggled, as the Argos picked up 24 yards on the ground.
The only bright spot in the match was two fumble recoveries by the Argos’ defence that were returned for a pair of touchdowns.
Needless to say, the Boatmen were disappointed in their performance.
“We lost this game because we have to coach better and play better,” Trestman said following the loss. “We’ve got to play better. It sounds very obvious but we didn’t do either….we didn’t finish any drives offensively. We didn’t stop the run well enough.”
There is some good news for the Argos. It appears that running back James Wilder Jr. is healthy for Friday’s matchup after being injured during practice earlier this week. The reigning CFL rookie of the year says his team’s effort is not translating on the field.
“We’re grinding,” said Wilder. “We’re putting in the work. We just have to execute. We have to finish things the right way and eliminate the mistakes. Eliminate the missed assignments and shooting ourselves in the foot.”
The last time the Argos started a season 1-5 was in 2011. They finished at the bottom of the East Division that season.
Can the Argos stop the bleeding and return to their championship ways? Or will the Bombers prove too much for the Boatmen for a second straight week?
JAMES WILDER JR. IS EXPECTED TO START ON FRIDAY VS. THE BOMBERS AFTER BEING INJURED IN PRACTICE (CFL.CA)
Crunchin’ Numbers:
5 – League leading rushing touchdowns for Bombers’ running back Andrew Harris.
23 – Team leading receptions caught by Argos’ receiver S.J. Green.
118 – Current consecutive game reception streak for bombers receiver Weston Dressler, the eighth longest in CFL history. His last game without a catch was Aug. 12, 2010.
277 – League low net offensive yards per game by the Toronto Argonauts.
Can Andrew Harris be stopped? That is easier said than done.
The Argos will have to find a way to slow down the league’s leading rusher if they hope to leave Investors Group Field with a ‘W.’
Harris has racked up 610 yards in only six games this season, and is coming off of three straight 100-yard plus performances. During that span, the 31-year-old has 409 yards on 52 carries.
Stringing together a pair of wins has been tough to start the season. Only Calgary, Hamilton and Saskatchewan have won back-to-back games over the first six weeks.
The Bombers are hoping to join that club on Friday night.
– With files from the BlueBombers.com/Alouettes.com.
AFI, Yare Media and the CFL
American Football International is collaborating with Yare Media and the Canadian Football League to present 2018 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the top flight TSN network television broadcast.
